Roddy Ricch recently performed at the 2022 Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park, London, England. The 23-year-old rapper put on an incredible show, delivering a handful of his hit songs. However, his performance of the popular song “The Box” sparked some controversy.
The last tune on Roddy’s list was “The Box,” his most popular single. Along with some electro guitar and drums, the rapper provided an excellent accompaniment for the song. Even though the performance was high-energy, with the entire crowd chanting the lyrics word for word, some users on Twitter are outraged that white individuals in the audience were singing along to a song that heavily uses the “n-word.”
See the clip below:
Some fans claimed this was Roddy’s finest live performance, while others said it was disgraceful how many white listeners sang the “n-word.” The debate about who is acceptable to use the ethnic slur has been going on for a long time. A video of Kendrick Lamar went viral in 2018 when he called out a white concertgoer for using the “n-word” during one of his live shows. In the clip, a white lady was brought on stage to rap with K. Dot, but the performance fell flat after the girl repeatedly said the “n-word” four times. That time, the Compton rapper paused the show to call her out and inform her that she was not permitted to speak that term on his stage. Four years later, on his Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers deep-cut “Auntie Diaries,” Kendrick Lamar briefly mentioned white hip-hop listeners using the “n-word”, and now it looks like Roddy Ricch has had the same experience.
Watch the full performance below:
Despite the fact that the footage of the performance was posted a few days ago, fans on Twitter are still wondering if Roddy made a mistake by encouraging people to sing along. “Live rap shows unlock a different level of audacity in yt[white] people I swear,” one user wrote, while another added, “Rappers need to stop using the N-word in songs. White people are not gonna stop and they are the major consumers of hip hop now. Adjust the music to your audience.”
Check out some of the top Twitter reactions below:
Rappers need to stop using the N word in songs. White people are not gonna stop and they are the major consumers of hip hop now. Adjust the music to your audience. It's no longer the '90s where Black and Brown people were the majority in attendance. https://t.co/zX9Ix4ECHY
— tyrese sanders (@tysandsnyc2acc) July 10, 2022
Live rap shows unlock a different level of audacity in yt people I swear https://t.co/YD08AOdLg9
— King Wow (@wowthatshiphop) July 10, 2022
Every white person in London at the Roddy Ricch concert literally paid just to say “nigga”
— dushii🥉 (@YoDushii) July 10, 2022
“I’ve never said the n word in my life.”
White people at concerts: https://t.co/Ys0Xr2VJgx pic.twitter.com/jRZf13Xugq
— Bobby Foster (@_bobbyfoster) July 10, 2022
https://twitter.com/whitest_injera/status/1546259244521033728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1546259244521033728%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhiphopfreaks.com%2F2022%2F07%2F13%2Ftwitter-rages-white-fans-rap-roddy-ricch%2F
Controversial opinion. I think rappers who has garnered a mainstream audience, should stop putting the N-word In songs. 🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/kKBa0ydscG
— Sweet James Jones Jr🤴🏾 (@SweetJamesJr90) July 10, 2022
The irony of his song is the part where he says “I won’t never sell my soul, and I can back that” when he got white people singing the N-word knowing very well it’s against the code but he was happy to do that because of the💰💵 https://t.co/ZFvcVpg9Vg
— 𓋹𓍑𓋴Musoni 𓋖𓊽 (@lumekaaveknew) July 11, 2022
